DAVAO CITY—The once troubled province of Sulu down south is set to embark on a journey that seeks to discard its infamous tag as bailiwick of the dreaded Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and eventually emerge as a budding business hub for entrepreneurs.
The Sulu Provincial Office of the Bangsamoro Ministry of Trade, Investments, and Tourism (MTIT) inaugurated last week the new Pasalubong Center at the Jolo Port “to harness the economic potential of the region.”
The center would serve as a one-stop shop for local products, ranging from handicrafts to processed foods, fashion accessories, souvenirs, gift items, and home decors.
The business move came as the Bangsamoro government also sought to expand the number of legislative districts of the island province that form part of the country’s southern backdoor, also infamous as the corridor for illicit trafficking of persons and contraband to and from the Philippines’ Asian neighbors.
Dr. Nagdar Sasapan, provincial director of MTIT-Sulu, said the pasalubong center would provide vital support to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) to help them in marketing and promoting their products not only to locals but also to tourists.
“With the advent of our Pasalubong Center, malagguh in hikatabang ta pa mga local MSMEs sin kita. Through [this] Pasalubong Center, Manjari ta cater-run in mga products nila iban makatabang kita kanila mag-promote iban mag-market sin mga products [we will be able to further support local MSMEs. Through this Pasalubong Center, we can cater to their products and help them promote and market their products],” Sasapan said in Bahasa Sug.
Mayor Kerkhar Tan of the province’s capital of Jolo, expressed gratitude to those who initiated the establishment of the Pasalubong Center.
The center was funded under the Transitional Development Impact Fund of former Member of Parliament Sahie Udjah who mentioned it as one of six other projects from his former office that would be turned over this month.
The new Pasalubong Center in Jolo Port marks a crucial step in boosting Sulu’s economy, the Bangsamoro information office said.
This year, Sulu has since been declared free of ASG control and influence.
This came as the Bangsamoro Parliament identified Sulu as among the provinces of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) that would have more legislative districts and enable these places to have more representatives in the region’s lawmaking body.
The Parliament said the proposed “districting” of BARMM provinces would have seven districts for Sulu, which has two existing districts. Basilan would now have three districts, Tawi-Tawi with three districts, with eight districts, Maguindanao del Norte with four districts, Maguindanao del Sur with four districts, Cotabato City with two districts and the Special Geographic Areas with one district.